http://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10154274787894937
Hello guys! The video above was a project I had to do as part of the requirements for a speaking course I took recently. I decided to share it with you, my readers hoping it serves as some form of inspiration. I chose to speak on this topic because it was definitely something I could relate to. The words below were what I tried to encapsulate in the recording, but I’m not quite sure I did justice to it (…the nerves I guess), hence the decision to also publish the transcribed version. Please note that this video was recorded on only one take, so forgive any inadequacies you may observe. I must confess that I have been quite shy and hesitant to put this out, but I truly hope it inspires someone to pursue their passion. Enjoy the video and read.
Bridging The Gap Between Passion And Action
“What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”- Robert Schuller
Let’s take a moment to ponder upon this all important question…
Many adults seem to have a fairly good idea of what their passion is. They recognise that one (or maybe two) special thing that they have always loved doing since they were kids. Something that their family and friends seem to struggle with, but comes naturally to them. That gift that people have complemented them on. When we were much younger, we called it a hobby, but as we grew older, we realised that passion seemed to be a more appropriate term for it; for we always found ourselves drawn to it regardless of whatever else we were doing.
More often than not, we have grand ideas of what we want to do with our lives. We gave it as a response to the question “What do you want to be in future?” when we were asked as children. Deep in our guts, we know that it is want we want to be called or known for, but many times, we don’t know how to go about achieving this. The translation between loving or wishing to do or be something and actually setting out of our comfort zone to achieve it is usually the snag. It is that gap between passion and action.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines Passion as “something that you are strongly interested in and enjoy.” A passion for something is described as “An extreme interest in or wish for doing something such as a hobby or activity.” While a person’s ruling passion is “a person’s most important interest.”
While Action on the other hand is defined as “the process of doing something, especially when dealing with a problem or difficulty.”
These definitions are not strange to most of us, but it is important to put it out there to gain proper perspective. Without further ado, I will be sharing the few points I believe are necessary in order to bridge the gap between passion and action:
Find courage: Courage is the ability to control one’s fear in a dangerous or difficult situation. We have already determined that you recognise your passion, but it is also clear that pursuing it seems like a daunting task. You have your doubts, you wonder if you are good enough, you believe many will think you are a phony and don’t possess real talent. You wonder if people will buy into your dream, you are even broke, and all these unpleasant thoughts keep recurring in your mind. You need to know first all that what you are feeling is not unusual. But in the midst of all the fears and doubts, you MUST summon courage at some point. By all means, take your time, but find that strength within to decide that this is a journey you must undertake and it begins in the mind.
Take a step/Make a move: If you need to take a course to kick start your journey, by all means do so. I had always written on and off, but kick started my writing career by starting a blog last year, you can do the same thing if you plan to be a writer. If you want to be a big business woman who sells expensive wholesale lace fabrics, start by selling Ankara from your home or the trunk of your car. It is also wise to learn the trade under that already successful Alhaja in down town Lagos Island. If you need to work for free, do it! It’s only for a period of time. Just make a move!
Be Diligent/Consistent: Sometimes, after daring to be courageous and eventually starting something, we lose steam along the way and begin to tire out when we realise that pursuing a dream is not exactly a tea party. Yes, it is possible to be discouraged even if one is passionate about something. But, the greatest mistake you can make is to jettison your dream or become complacent. You haven’t achieved anything at all. You CANNOT afford to slow down now. Consistency and diligence is key. These are the qualities that will attract people to you…especially those who have not been paying attention before. Your hard work and drive will eventually pay off . You cannot give up now.
Associate with people of like minds: Hanging out with the wrong set of people can derail your vision, since you are just starting out. Seek out people who have achieved what you dream of achieving in your field. If you can’t gain audience with them one on one, read up on them. One of the prerequisites to good writing is reading. I try my best to read the works of well known writers, columnists, novelists and authors in order to get better at my own craft.
Galvanize your resources towards your goal: You need to give this passion of yours all you have got. You need to pull all the resources at your disposal into achieving your dream. If you need to save up some money, please do so. If you have to take time off certain luxuries to get things done, by all means do it. If you need to sleep less, watch less TV like I do to ensure I finish an article sometimes, do it. It’s your dream, pursue it with all you’ve got.
Persistence/Perseverance/Grit: Nothing good comes easy they say. This is so true! The journey to be the best or get to the top is a long, arduous one. No one said it was going to be easy. You need to stay the course. You must be persistent and persevere regardless of the obstacles you are sure to meet on your journey. Torrid times will definitely come. You may fall, you may constantly doubt yourself. You may hear discouraging words from people who know nothing about your journey and the sacrifices you have had to make to come this far. You are allowed to cry, you are allowed to be sad, but you need to get right back up and trudge on. That’s the stuff champions are made of. That’s what you require to bridge the gap between passion and action and get to the zenith of your calling.
Thank you for watching and reading. Your feedback is always appreciated.
Wow! These are really inspiring words. All you’ve said has happened to me in my journey as a writer and blogger. I only started developing the hobbie two years ago. Never knew I had it from the earlier days. I pulled in lots of resources just to write content for free. At a point I was like am I insane or something. How can I pull resources into something that isn’t yielding anything. I felt there wasn’t response from the public on all I did and decided to back out but thank God for passion from people like you and other bloggers, I stayed on and today I’ve reached a point where the public are well aware of my writings, created names for me and the positive appraisal doesn’t seem to end. It’s never an easy task but it takes a lot of courage to continue pushing. If you can endure the terrible pain, the reward must surely come. Thanks a lot Lolade.
Our stories are very similar. Writing is a lonely vocation that you absolutely MUST love to venture into, else you’re sure to lose steam or stop out of frustration along the way. One has to stay the course and keep motivating oneself even if others don’t. We are sure to triumph in the end if we faint not. Thank you so much for this contribution.
And on the video clip, I think you did maybe the only thing needed was a little bit of drama just to connect with the listeners. Other than that it was great, the nerves didn’t really show, the content of what you said was much greater and I think the message of going after what you love doing needs to be passed across.
Thanks a lot. I appreciate the feedback.
Thanks for the word of encouragement, you certainly made my day. I am so so inspired by you. There are a lot of sad and depressed people around, who just need to be encouraged not to give up on their dreams.I have learnt so much from you and I will make good use of it especially that of finding courage. Thanks,lolo, You are truly an inspiration,you are a combination of beauty and brains. More power to your elbow.
I am truly humbled by your words. Glad to be able to do whatever I can to help others. Thanks a lot dear.